Wall Of Fire4c Canford Cliffs - Bright SapphireAziz Kheir1011-62RPR 110 OR 107A similar type to To Be Wild but we know he stays 1m6f after he won the Mallard at Doncaster, and the discussion with his new Australian owner is whether he's a Caulfield Cup or a Melbourne Cup horse. I think he does stay 2m, but on the other hand the faster pace of a 1m4f race may bring out the best in him. Over 2m in the Dubai Gold Cup they went no gallop, which is no good for him.

Melbourne calling as Cardinal thwarts Prescott and Brave

Sir Mark Prescott rarely ventures too far abroad but he was narrowly denied a lucrative US success as German-trained Red Cardinal(Andreas Wohler/Eduardo Pedroza) held off a fast-finishing St Michel to head a 1-2-3-4 for the European party in the Belmont Gold Cup.

The Prescott representative charged home from the rear in the $400,000 event but just could not catch Red Cardinal, who held on by a neck after hitting the front a furlong out.

France's Now We Can just nosed out Willie Mullins's Irish St Leger winner Wicklow Brave for third. Hugo Palmer's Wall Of Fire faded to eighth, two places ahead of Wicklow Brave's stablemate Clondaw Warrior in a race where no fewer than six of the 13 runners had crossed the Atlantic.

Winning trainer Andreas Wohler, who won the Melbourne Cup with Protectionist in 2014 for Red Cardinal's owners, the Australian Bloodstock syndicate, immediately targeted a return to Flemington.

"The main goal is the first Tuesday in November,” said Wohler. "He'll probably have his next race in France. He then could race in Germany or in Australia itself. We want to give him a little break before he comes back. He'll be fresh for the campaign then."

A Group 2 winner at Hoppegarten in Berlin on his previous outing a month ago, Red Cardinal was bought out of David Simcock's yard in August last year.

Sent off 2.8-1 favourite, the five-year-old son of Montjeu was settled in mid-pack by Wohler's stable jockey Eddie Pedroza as front-running Roman Approval charged off to a 15-length lead before slowing things down dramatically in the middle stages. Wall Of Fire, who had raced in second, took the lead after the turned for home before getting swamped as Red Cardinal overwhelmed his rivals five wide.

"He started very late, but he keeps improving, and he's still progressing," added Wohler. "We're very happy."

St Michel, also being targeted for Melbourne, made a load of headway in the stretch but the bird had already flown and he had to settle for second. "My horse did everything right – I just got beat by a better horse," said jockey Irad Ortiz.

Punchestown Champion Hurdle winner Wicklow Brave also finished well after falling out of the stalls and vying for last for much of the race with his Mullins-trained stablemate Clondaw Warrior, who may as well have stayed at home.

WINNER: Red Cardinal strides out to win the Belmont Gold Cup in the United States on Saturday morning.

The Hunter syndication company, which shot to worldwide attention with Protectionist’s triumph, was celebrating after Red Cardinal won the Grade 3 Belmont Gold Cup Invitational (3200 metres) in the US early Saturday morning. With part-owner and Newcastle Jockey Club chairman Geoff Barnett and wife Maureen in the stands, Red Cardinal scored by a neck.

Murrell said Red Cardinal, trained by Andreas Wohler in Germany, will race in the Prix Kergorlay (3000m) at Deauville in France in August before coming to Australia for the Herbert Power Stakes. It is the same path Protectionist followed to Cup glory.

Five months out from the race, Murrell was more confident about Red Cardinal’s prospects in the Cup than he was about Protectionist’s.

“He’s still got a lot to improve on, whereas Protectionist was a bit more bullet-proof,” Murrell said. “In the race on Saturday, he sprinted so quickly, then he put his head up like he was done. So there’s things that Andreas is going to try and iron out. He’s favourite at the moment and if the race was next week he’d be winning. It’s a long way away though.

“Wicklow Brave was second favourite for the Cup last year, then he drew the carpark. He's probably going better this year and Red Cardinal put him away pretty easily on Saturday.”

“I think that’s a good pointer.”

Red Cardinal was a TAB Fixed Odds $15 favourite for the Melbourne Cup with the Godolphin-prepared Francis Of Assisi.

Magical Hobson makes it three for Mullins and Moore

The Melbourne Cup is the end of year target for Thomas Hobson who stormed to victory under a super confident ride from Ryan Moore in the Ascot Stakes.

The seven-year-old provided Willie Mullins with a fifth Royal Ascot win and owners Rich and Susannah Ricci a first win at the meeting.

Moore has now ridden all five of Mullins’s Ascot winners including two in Tuesday's 2m4f event with Simenon in 2012 and Clondaw Warrior in 2015.

Simenon went on to complete a double at the meeting five years ago when following up in the Queen Alexandra Stakes and it’s possible that Thomas Hobson might try and emulate him on Saturday.

Mullins said: “He’s in the Queen Alexandra but we’ll wait and see how he comes out of today’s race before deciding if he’ll turn out again.”

Moore brought Thomas Hobson, a four-time winner over hurdles and who had not run on the Flat since scoring his fourth victory for John Gosden in October 2013, from the back of the field to win, going away, by six lengths.

"There was a strong pace and I just got him warmed into it. I was always confident I was going to pick them up and at Swinley Bottom I thought they were slowing up all the way. He's won easily, " Moore said.

Mullins said: “Ryan made it happen and booking him probably made Thomas Hobson favourite. I spoke to John [Gosden] yesterday and he said that when Thomas Hobson was a younger horse he didn’t like fast ground. But he’s older and more mature now and he handled the conditions well.

“Although he’s won a few times over hurdles, he’s never been that fluent a jumper. Every year when we get Cheltenham and Punchestown out of the way, we put a few aside for the Flat. We made a few entries for this week but Thomas Hobson is the only one we brought.”

Regarding plans for the winner, Mullins said: “We’ll see about York and possibly the Lonsdale Cup while the Irish St Leger is also part of the plan. But we have unfinished business in Australia and the Melbourne Cup is definitely on the agenda, if we can get him him in the ratings.”

Paddy Power go 25-1 (from 50-1) about Thomas Hobson for the Melbourne Cup.

The Northumberland Plate at Newcastle in July will be the first leg of an ambitious treble for a stayer with the 2017 Melbourne Cup the ultimate aim.

The Brian Ellison-trained Seamour finished second as favourite behind the Charlie Appleby-trained Antiquarium in last year's Northumberland Plate and sixth in 2015 and will be back again on July 1.

Seamour started his 2017 season by finishing third behind Dal Harraild in the Listed Grand Cup Stakes (1m6f) last month and Ellison told the Sporting Life the six-year-old son of Azamour has come out of the race in good order

"He's flying. He's in great form, touch wood." Ellison. "He ran well on his comeback but they went no pace."

Ellison said he wants Seamour to draw a low number in this year's Northumberland Plate (2m1/2f).

"The last two years he's been drawn in the car park. Last year, you could say he was unlucky but he ran four-wide all the way round and still hit the front and looked the winner," Ellison said.

"He just wants a better draw really."

And while the Melbourne Cup is the ultimate aim, Ellison appreciates Seamour will have to win his way into the race.